Coming to the Netherlands has given me a wonderful opportunity to interact closely with many interesting Dutch people. One of them is a beautiful Dutch woman Yvonne Wagemans - tall, confident professional, radiant skin, sparking eyes and above all, brimming with ceaseless energy.
We see Yvonne ride up to her office at 8:15 am every morning, replete with her home-made salad box for lunch, in her bike satchel. Come rain, snow, cold or wind, Yvonne cycles both ways every day and on weekends, at times close to 40 kms !!
What is the secret of this dynamic woman’s well-being? Getting an early start, packing in an efficient day at work, eating home-made fresh food, getting home in the evening to spend quality with her cats, followed by an early dinner and a beauty sleep, is part of her daily mantra. Yvonne says ‘ I am the world’s best sleeper J’. She makes a 24 hour day seem like she packed in 36 hours and that too effortlessly.
Was Yvonne always like this? Not really!
An interview with Yvonne revealed that some years ago, she took complete charge of her well-being and embraced preventative self-care, after being diagnosed with health issues. These, she said served as a wake-up call for a complete change in her lifestyle.
While doctors prescribed a strong dose of medications, Yvonne instead chose to first educate herself on the nutritive power of food. And has since made the right food and lifestyle choices her only medicine. Here are some of her tips:
1. “Healthy food cured my cysts. I go shopping each day for fresh fruits and vegetables and eat more home cooked meals.”
2. “Move! Move! I cycle to work and back forty minutes each day and on weekends, when the weather is good, it could be 4-5 hours of cycling.”
3. “I maintain a good work/life balance, with lots of fun activities like baking, knitting, playing with my cats or spending quality time with family.”
4. “I enjoy nature as it is very healing. The sound of birds chirping is very relaxing and calms my mind.”
5. “ Getting the right amount of sleep is important and I call myself the world’s best sleeper”
Finally, Yvonne also says that, “Age is just a number”. She believes that by staying positive and focusing on the good things in life, we can stay forever ageless, healthy and happy.
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